Dodgers Rumors: Tyler Glasnow 'Prominent' Trade Target After Shohei Ohtani Contract

Despite having officially signed Shohei Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract, the Los Angeles Dodgers' work this offseason can't be done yet.

Per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Tyler Glasnow "has emerged as a prominent" trade target for the Dodgers recently.

The Dodgers already had the second-best offense in MLB by wins above replacement and runs scored last season, trailing only the Atlanta Braves. Plugging Ohtani into that group with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith could allow them to flirt with 1,000 runs scored in 2024.

But they are also in a position where they might need to score that many runs because the pitching staff is a huge question mark right now. Bobby Miller is the only starter currently on the roster who threw at least 100 innings and posted an ERA under 4.00 last season.

The Dodgers remain connected to Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto after signing Ohtani, per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network.

Even if the Dodgers happen to sign Yamamoto, there's still an argument they will need to add at least one more impact pitcher.

The Tampa Bay Rays have made no secret they are shopping Glasnow, who will earn $25 million in 2024 before becoming a free agent next offseason.

Ohtani's deal is structured in such a way that it will allow the Dodgers to have more money available to avoid the competitive balance tax.

The Dodgers' estimated tax payroll right now is projected to be $177.2 million. This gives them $59.8 million to spend before hitting the $237 million CBT threshold.

Running down the list of Dodgers options based on who was with the team in 2023 paints a rather bleak portrait for their pitching staff.

Clayton Kershaw is a free agent and recovering from shoulder surgery that will keep him out until at least sometime next summer. Julio Urías is a free agent and facing potential discipline from MLB stemming from a September arrest for an alleged domestic violence incident with his wife at a stadium in Los Angeles during an MLS game.

Dustin May had elbow surgery in July that comes with a 12-month return timeframe. Walker Buehler is expected to be ready for the start of 2024 after missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery, but general manager Brandon Gomes has said they might have to put him on an innings limit.

Per FanGraphs' roster resource page, the Dodgers' current rotation is projected to be Buehler, Miller, Ryan Pepiot, Ryan Yarbrough and Emmet Sheehan. That group combined to throw a total of 316.1 innings last season.

Glasnow comes with significant injury concerns. His 21 starts and 120 innings pitched last season were both career highs. The 30-year-old only made 16 starts between 2021 and 2022 due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.

Even factoring in the possibility that Glasnow will have to miss some time because of an injury, the upside is enormous for a Dodgers team that will be under as much pressure as any team in MLB to win a World Series in 2024.

Per Baseball Savant, Glasnow ranked in the 97th percentile in strikeout percentage and 95th percentile in whiff rate. He does give up a lot of hard contact, finishing in the fourth percentile in barrel rate (11.6 percent) and 11th percentile in hard-hit rate (44.6 percent), but his ability to miss bats helps mitigate the damage opposing teams do against him.

In those 21 starts he made last season, Glasnow posted a 3.53 ERA with 93 hits allowed and 162 strikeouts. His injury history and contract might allow the Dodgers to acquire him at a slightly discounted rate, though their farm system isn't a problem when it comes to making a trade for virtually any player.

The Dodgers have five top-100 prospects, tied with two other teams for the third-most in MLB. They also had the sixth-ranked farm system overall in an August update from MLB.com.

If the Rays want one of those top-100 prospects from the Dodgers for Glasnow, Los Angeles can afford to say yes without putting a major dent in its farm system.

Glasnow would be a high-risk, high-reward bet for the Dodgers, but they should be taking those kind of swings right now with Ohtani, Betts and Freeman all in the prime of their careers.